Re: [LUG] Linux for kids

["Ben Goodger" <goodgerster@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 10/07/06, Neil Stone <neil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

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Kelly Jones wrote:
> can anyone point me in the right direction for a Linux distro suitable
> for young children?
>

are you saying that GNU/Linux should have a 13 certificate ??

15 certificate - "What's DOS doing on a new computer like this?"
PG certificate - "Daddy, why is the computer calling me a titty-one?"
12 certificate - "Mum, I don't know why, but the computer's gone all strange - something about a panicky colonel. It's not blue, so it can't have crashed..."

Forgive my usual pessimism, but frankly I don't think that any OS (besides Mac OS (uni)X) is suitable for those under 8 without adult supervision, and I wouldn't expose GNU to anyone under 15 in general - no matter what GNOME devs say, it must be learnt and will people do so? Will they hell. Preteens and early teens are particularly bad at this (incl. me) - and I hardly think that most of the error messages output by the average (somewhat screwed up) Linux system are suitable for preteen comprehension, let alone exposure.

Having said that, there are one or two IT staff in my school who I would just love to throttle - "Linux is not suitable for the school environment", "I installed Kubuntu without X because I only wanted KDE", "Machine code == binary", "A DVD's capacity =~ 7GB" "Don't be silly, why would anyone want a scalable GUI for a VB app?" etc etc lead me to believe that the average person should be prevented from using a computer at all, UNIX or not.

-- 
Ben Goodger
#391382
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Mi admiras religiajn; ili estas fine ebliĝinta solvi la maljunegan demandon "kiel oni povas vivi sencerbe?".
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